Squeegee



Dec. 27, 1955 M. COCCO SQUEEGEE Filed Nov. 27, 1951 INVENTOR ATTORN EY United Statement@ 2,728,099 SQUEEGEE Michael Cocco, Hamden, Conn. Application November 27, 1951, Serial No. 258,419 1 claim. (ci. 1sz45) This invention relates to scrubbing or cleaning devices, and more particularly to a device adapted for cleaning oors or similar surfaces, and also Vfor spreading a coating of material over such floors such as paint or the like. It will, however, be understood that the principles of this invention may be applied to similar devices used for other purposes.

In general, the device of the present application cornprises a scrubbing blade having a handle to which the blade is attached, the blade being provided with exible wiping edges of rubber or the like similar to the type of device sometimes called a squecgee.

For cleaning oors, a device of this kind must be relatively strong and durable, and, while it is desirable that it possess some exibility,.-it should not be too limber but should be sutliciently stiff to exert the required pressure upon the surface to be cleaned. Also, the device should be capable of being manufactured economically Without the use of an excessive amount of rubber or neprene or other relatively scarce material.

In the present device I provide a blade which is hollow in form so that the portionof the blade formed of neoprene, for example, may be relatively small. The blade is provided with a through channel within which may be inserted a stiffening member of wood or the like, which memberalso provides a tirm securing means by which the handle may be secured'in place.

Upon each side of the central openingr through which the s'tiffening member is inserted, the blade is tapered or gradually reduced in thickness toward the two working edges, the portion immediately adjacent the edge being relatively thin or of narrow width so that it will possess considerable tlexibility, and these portions of the blade are of substantially uniform'thickness for a vdistance inwardly from the eXtreme edges.

Between such portions of the blade and the central channel is the portion which is tapered in thickness, and in each of these portions of the blade adjacent the central opening is provided a relatively small through channel s0 as to provide a relatively narrow web on each side of the channels. These through channels which provide the relatively narrow web on each side thereof reduce the amount of neoprene or other material which is required, and at the same time give the blade the proper amount of ilexibility at this portion.

I nd that a blade constructed in this manner may be employed for scrubbing or cleaning tloors, and is par ticularly valuable in connection with floors of rooms or buildings of considerable size such as garages, factories, laboratories, or the like. I also find that a device of this kind is useful in spreading paint upon concrete floors and may be used successfully as a paint brush when it is desired to apply a coat of paint to surfaces of relatively large area.

ln that it is advantageous for the blade of the device to be held at diterent angles to the surface being operated upon when the device is used as a scrubbing or cleaning device and when it is used for applying paint, I provide a 2,728,099 Patented Dec. 27, 1955 ICC handle bracket with two attaching surfaces, one of these surfaces lying at a diierent angle with respect to the handle socket than the other so that with the handle held at approximately the same angle to the oor, the blade of the device will occupy a diierent angle with respect to the oor in one case than in the other.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cleaning, scrubbing and paint-applying device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is particularly useful in connection with oors of relatively large area.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved cleaning, scrubbing, or paint-applying device having a blade of natural or synthetic rubber, which blade will be stilened along its central portion so that it may possess the required rigidity and at the same time a handle member may be rigidly secured to the blade.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a scrubbing or paint-applying device having a handle bracket comprising a handle socket and a pair of attaching portions, one of which is at an angle to the other so that a handle may be attached to the device in different positions.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a cleaning or paintapplying device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view showing the device with the handle secured thereto in one position; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the handle in another position.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown in the drawings a cleaning or paint-applying device comprising a blade of generally rectangular form, this blade comprising a central body portion 10, a tapered portion llat each side of the body portion, and an edge ange 12 upon each side of the .tapered` portion. 4, As shown more especially in Fig..2 ,of :the drawings, the central body portion 10 is hollow and provided with a through opening 13 of substantially rectangular shape so that a stiifening member 14 may be inserted in this opening. This stiffening member may be of wood or any to stiffen or make rigid the the blade or the zone of the blade which lies midway between the two edge anges 12.

It will also be seen from the cross-sectional view in Fig. 2 that the tapered portions 11 are reduced in Width from the central portion 10 outwardly until they merge with the edge flanges 12. The latter, as will be obvious, provide the wiping edges 15 which contact the oor or surface which is being cleaned or to which a coating such as paint is being applied. It will be understood that, as will be later explained, the handle may be reversed iu direction with respect to the blade lso that either of the edges 15 may be used as desired.

Within each of the tapered portions 11 there is provided a through opening 16, which openings are also tapered outwardly so that the thickness of material on substantially uniform. It may edges 15.

The thickness of material increases gradually from the inner portions of the anges 12 until it is separated into two portions by the openings 16. The provision of these openings renders this portion of the blade more flexible than if it were solid and of the same thickness, and at the same time renders it more exible than if the same amount of material were provision of the opening. Thus, the blade has the required rigidity and also the required exibility. It is, of course. more flexible at the region :of .the wiping ianges 112 which contact Vthe floor or `the surface. v

I =provide a handle bracket .designated Vby theniumeral 17 which may be secured .rigidly to the iblade.: The bracket -is provided with a handle socket 18 to"receive the handle 19 of usual form. It is also vprovided withva pair of zattaching flanges v2.0 and 21.

Theselanges :have substantially at lower surfaceste Vbe Vapplied to the exterior surface of the central portion atly thereagainst, `and it will Y 10 ofthe blade so 'as to lie be noted particularly from' Figsfl and 2 that :the zlower surface of the member 20 stands at an angle to .that o the lower "surface ofthe ange 21. The handle'may 'be secured in place by `fastening members such as lbo1tsf22 passing through 'the central through -the stilening member 14, and also through open ings in the -anges 20 and 21, the bolts being threaded to receive wing nuts 23 to secure the handle securely -in place.

As shown in may be 'secured to the blade in two positions so as to vary the angle of the handle with respect to the general plane of the blade. As Vshown in full lines, the ange I20 is secured to the blade, and the handle socket 18 is substantially 'parallel to the surface of the blade.

dotted lines, the surface .21 is secured to the blade, and

the handle stands at an angle of substantially 45 degrees to the general plane ofthe blade. It will, of course, be

understood that the to the blade so that either of the wiping edges 1S may be employed and the angle varied regardless of which edge is employed.

It will be obvious that the blade of my device may 'be formed by an extrusion or lmolding operation, yfor example, and may beextruded with and the channels 16 provided therein. It may be so made in 'any length desired and thereafter cut into the required length which is required for the squeegee. Thefstitening member 14 may also be cut to the proper length and inserted in the vopening 13 Vand secured in place by any suitable means, such as staples 25.

.In Fig. 3 of the drawing the handle bracket is shown used in .the blade without the,

portion of the blade and fun and dotted lines in Fig. r, the handle 'f As shown in t handle may be reversed with respect I blade, and cach kof said anges the central opening 13 ,assecured tothe hladeby `means of `theilangellLrandeit will be noted that with the'handle in the normal position in which it would bc heldby a user, the blade stands at an angle of about 45 degrees to the floor line, the latter being indicated at 26. In Fig. 4 of the drawing the handle is secured to the blade by means of the ange 21, and the device has been .rvnxrnedgso that the blade is di rected away from the operator and with the handle at approximately the same' angleV as shown in Fig. 3, the blade stands at .approximately right angles to the door.

it will be used in this latter positionV for scrubbing opcrations while used1as shown in Fig. `3 .for paint spreading,

for example. l

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of theinvention and withirir-the scope ofthe claim. I

Whatlclaimisz Y l' 'In a device ofthe character described, l1a blade com? prising van elongated member vo'f-tlexible material having a :body portion with alongitudinal opening therethrough substantially centrally o'f the blade, a stiffening member -in said opening, a portion, tapered in thickness, on eachsidc of saidfbody-portion, .a' wiping 'flange projecting outwardly from thefouteredge of each tapered portion, into which ilangesi said tapered'portions merge, each of said tapered portionsbeing providedfwithan opening spaced youtwardly from said first-named' 'Opening-.extending the -length of the blade and Saidbpe'nings` being tapered'in cross sectional shapevto :provide for-'substantially uniform thickness of"material at: each side thereof, a handle'secured tothe being of substantially uni` form-thickness throughout-its width. 

